Conveyer



A. D. slNDEN CONVEYER Filed oct. 14. 1958 ATTORNEY lil Patented Jan. 7, 41941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ler Conveyor Company, Quin cy, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application October 14, 1938, Serial No. 235,017

4 Claims.

This invention relates to a conveyer of the type in which a conveying element having transversely extended nights isdrawn through a conduit or casing.

The object of this invention is to produce a novel and improved conveyer of the character specined particularly designed for use in a conveyer for the conveyance of materials of an adhesive character adapted to eiect the clearance of material from the conveying element in a novel and improved manner, thus enabling the con-` veyer to be operated with'maxirnum efficiency upon sticky as well as freely flowable materials.

With this general object in view, and such others as may hereinafter appear, the invention consists in the conveyer and in tire various structures, arrangements and combinations of parts hereinafter described and particularly dened in the claimsat the end of this speciilcation.

ln the drawing illustrating the preferred embodiment of the invention, Fig. l is a vertical section through the upper portion of a conveyor embodying the present invention; Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view on the line 2--2 of Fig. l, and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the upper portion of the conveyer with the casing removed.

The present invention contemplates a conveyer oithe type shown in the United States Reissue Patent No. 18,445 to Redler comprising a casing provided with an inlet and an outlet and a conveying element having a plurality of transversely extended nights, arranged to be drawn through the casing to eilect the conveyance or the material therethrough. The conveying element may and preferably will be arranged to be drawn through the casing by driving means including one or more rotary elements over which the conveying element is caused to pass. Experience with conveyers of the type shown in said Redler reissue patent has shown that when materials having. a tendency to adhere to the conveying' element are being conveyed, some of the material may be carried beyond the outlet in the cas-` ing and may pass over the driving element to be returned to the source of the material with the conveying element. The present conveyery is particularly adapted for the conveyance of sticky materials and is effective in maintaining the con..

veying element substantially free oi material as it passes over the driving element to the end that the open nights of the conveying element may be maintained in a clean condition whereby maxi-- mum operating emciency may be obtained. even when sticky materials are being conveyed.

Referring to the drawing,- the illustrated conveyer comprises a conduit il] having a conveying element l2 associated therewith to` be drawn therethrough to effect the conveyance of the material through the conduit. The conduit l may and preferably will be provided with the usual 5 inlet, not shown, and outlet it, all as disclosed in the Redler Reissue Patent No. 18,445.

The conveyer is provided with a conveying ele ment l 2 made up of a plurality of individual units or flights of open structure constructed to be 1o capable of being detachably and pivotally connected together and capable of effecting the conveyance of the material in a continuous stream in accordance with the aforesaid Redler reissue patent. The conveying element l2 may comprise 15 a plurality of individual and detachably connected nights each provided with a rigid memn ber i6 having a hollow hub iii at one end and having an enlargement at the other end capable of being received within the hollow hub of the succeeding night to pivotally and detachably connect the nights together.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention,

as herein illustrated, the casing or conduit I0 is upright and the outlet i4 is disposed near the 25 upper end of thel same. A rotary element over which the conveying elementr passes is mounted between the outlet I4 and the upper end of the casing and as herein shown comprises a double sprocket 20 mounted upon a cross shaft 22. The 30 shaft 22 may be journaled in suitable bearings 24 supported upon angle plates 26 secured to the casing I0 and the shaft may be driven in any usual or preferred manner. The double sprocket is provided with nanges 28, having teeth 32 35 between which the hubs i8 of the nights are receivedduring the voperation of the conveyer. As herein shown, the nanges 28, 30 are provided with outwardly extending vanes 34 which are formed integrally with and extend at right angles from 40 the teeth 32. The varies thus provided on the sprocket teeth pass between the nights and also are arranged to pass through the open nights during the operation of the conveyor and are enective in pushing out any material lodged upon or between the nights.

From the description thus far, it will be observed that in the operation of the conveyor, the driving sprocket 20 is rotated and the conveying element l2 is drawn through the casing ID and 50 the material is carried upwardly through the leg 3B, formed by the sides of the casing and a dividing partition 40. When the material arrives at the opening Il it no ws out of the opening by gravity to be delivered from the conveyer. Any

material of such a nature that it may have a tendency to cling to the conveying elementl and be carried beyond the opening I4 will then be removed when the vanes 34 pass through and between the nights as the conveying element i2 passes over the sprocket 20 and the material thus loosened will drop down and now out of the opening I4 with the main body of the material.

While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been herein illustrated and described, it Will be understood that the invention may be embodied in other forms within the scope of the following claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. In a conveyer of the character described, in combination, a casing having an inlet and an outlet, a conveying element traversable through the casing and provided with a plurality of spaced nights of o pen structure for effecting the conveyance of material through the casing in a continuous stream and a sprocket over which said conveying element passes, said sprocket being provided with relatively wide flanges extending laterally from the teeth thereof and adapted to pass between adjacent nights of the conveying element for entirely dislodging material therefrom.

2. In a conveyer of the character described, in combination, a casing having an inlet and an outlet, a conveying element traversable through the casing and provided with a plurality of spaced pivotally connected U-shaped nights of open structure for effecting the conveyance of material through the casing and a rotary element over which the conveying element passes comprising a pair of sprockets spaced apart and arranged to cooperate with opposed portions of the conveying element during the passage of the conveying element thereover, each of said sprockets being provided with relatively Wide nanges extending laterallyand outwardly from the teeth thereof adapted to pass between adjacent nights of the conveying element and to substantially nil the space therebetween for entirely dislodging material therefrom.

3. In a conveyer of the character described, in combination, an upright casing having an inlet at its lower end and an outlet at the upper end portion thereof, a conveying element traversable through the casing and provided with a plurality of spaced pivotally connected U-shaped nights of open structure for eiecting the conveyance of material from said inlet to said outlet, and a pair of sprockets at the upper end of the casing around which the conveying element passes, each of said sprockets being provided with relatively wide nanges extending outwardly from the teeth thereof and adapted to pass within the nights during the passage of the conveying element from the outlet around said sprocket for entirely dislodging material from within and between said nights.

d. In a conveyer of the character` described, in combination, a casing having an inlet and an outlet, an endless conveying element traversable through the casing provided with a plurality of pivotally connected U-shaped nights of open structure adapted to effect conveyance of the material in a solid column of substantial thickness, and a pair of cylindrical sprockets over which said conveying element passes, each of said sprockets being provided with relatively wide nanges extending laterally and outwardly from the teeth thereof and adapted to sweep between the legs of said U-shaped nights and to extend intoand substantially nll the space between ad jacent flights during the passage of the conveying element over said sprockets whereby to entirely dislodge the material from within and between 

